At ITB Berlin 2024, most of the developed tourism countries in Southeast Asia have national pavilions, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia... Some countries do not have national tourism pavilions such as Vietnam, Myanmar, East Timor...
According to Mr. Nguyen Cuong Bach - Deputy Director of Metta Voyage Travel Company, both of the world's leading tourism fairs recently did not have a joint booth for Vietnam Tourism. Meanwhile, countries that focus on tourism always build joint booths at large fairs such as WTM London or ITB Berlin to make an impression, increase the national image and position themselves on par with other countries.
In addition, a national tourism pavilion will help private companies and businesses reduce procedural and financial difficulties to be present at major fairs.
“This year, there is no common booth, so Vietnamese businesses have to contact and connect with each other to organize their participation. Many units could not find partners to participate, so they had to spend a lot of money, or could not come to ITB Berlin. In addition, because there is no common concept (theme) between the booths, it is difficult to organize large-scale joint programs to attract visitors from other areas of the fair,” said Mr. Bach.
What has Vietnam tourism missed?
According to Mr. Martin Koerner - Vice President of the German Business Association in Vietnam, ITB Berlin 2024 will have the participation of most of the tourism industry in the world, even special destinations such as Bhutan are present here. Thailand, a competitor in the region, not only built a large national pavilion but also has a number of individual pavilions for important destinations such as Bangkok and Phuket. At ITB Berlin 2024, Thailand has more than 170 exhibitors, compared to more than 70 exhibitors from Vietnam.
Mr. Martin Koerner emphasized the importance of national pavilions at typical tourism fairs, where international partners in the industry gather and are also "invaluable opportunities" to promote the culture, history, art, cuisine... of a country to the world.
"Businesses also want to be part of the national pavilion to enhance brand recognition and reduce costs related to exhibition space. ITB Berlin 2024 lacked press conferences or joint activities promoting Vietnamese tourism, the most notable event was probably the signing ceremony between a Vietnamese airline and a German airport," said Mr. Martin Koerner.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Cuong Bach commented that Vietnamese tourism has missed a “golden opportunity” by being absent from major tourism fairs: “The continuous absence from the world’s two top fairs has left us out of breath and possibly “losing” major partners to other countries. Like every year, the official booths of Thailand, the Philippines or Malaysia still do a very good job of attracting visitors.”
Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh - Head of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Secretariat said that the absence from WTM and ITB is also a regrettable waste, at a time when the Vietnamese Government has created favorable visa policies, but the tourism industry is weakly promoting in the visa-free markets such as the UK, Germany...
“From 2017 until before Covid-19, we did well at major fairs such as WTM and ITB with many activities, creating impressions and effectiveness in terms of tourism promotion. At that time, we organized many events right at the booth and on the sidelines of the booth, culinary experiences, press conferences, music, lucky draws, etc., attracting many press, businesses, etc. in Europe and outside the fair to the Vietnamese booth. We also called on Vietnamese students in that country to come and support, wearing national costumes to bring a closer image.
However, the recent fair has returned to the previous period, there is no common mark in the Vietnam region but separate businesses, each doing their own work," Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh assessed.
Why is there no national booth?
According to Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh's analysis, the absence of Vietnamese tourism booths at WTM and ITB fairs could be due to many reasons, including procedural issues and cooperation models between the parties.
“Very large fairs with many exhibitors like WTM and ITB will of course operate according to international regulations. The fair’s regulations are that once registration and booth space are finalized, money must be transferred immediately. Some fairs require a 70% advance payment of the booth cost, then upon acceptance (before the opening day), the remaining 30% is paid.
In addition, each fair has its own regulations, which are often very strict about fire prevention, electricity and water, booth size, etc., and there are no exceptions, so only a few professional and experienced bidders are qualified to bid. Therefore, if you want many units to participate in the bidding or get enough quotes, it is not easy," said Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh.
“Previously, we chose a contractor in an Eastern European country, and after finishing a fair, we would bring a part of the booth back there for preservation, and then use it again the next time. This method saves 30% of construction costs compared to completely rebuilding each fair; at the same time, it helps Vietnamese tourism convey its image and message throughout international fairs, making it easy to recognize and leave an impression. That is also what Japan, India or Indonesia have done, they always keep a number of designs and styles consistent for many years when participating in international fairs... If we change constantly, visitors will not have time to remember, not have time to retain the image of Vietnam among thousands of other booths.”
Another reason is the lack of an effective public-private partnership model in promoting tourism abroad, especially at a time when tourism businesses are "exhausted" after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh analyzed: “Now that businesses are exhausted, there must be a role for state agencies. Businesses do not have enough strength and position to represent the country in holding public events such as press conferences or Vietnam Nights... Businesses also really need the role of state agencies to invite ambassadors, politicians or celebrities... to their booths to create a buzz at the fair. For example, the public-private partnership model, previously, the Vietnamese booth at WTM 2017 welcomed the director of the blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" - Mr. Jordan Vogt-Roberts to promote Vietnam, at that time the General Department of Tourism invited and businesses paid the costs."
According to Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, the public-private partnership model requires parties to really listen, find ways to resolve and commit to doing what is within each party's capabilities. For example, to resolve financial difficulties, businesses are willing to pay in advance if the host unit has an early, public, transparent plan or a more preferential mechanism for those who pay early... Businesses need to plan early to prepare best, because each fair is very important to them, from meeting partners, inviting guests to attend events... to activities on the sidelines of the fair. For them, spending money means calculating the effectiveness. "In short, for Vietnamese tourism to return to international fairs, there must be a new model, clear and transparent about the roles of the public and private sectors".
From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Cuong Bach also expects the connection between businesses and tourism management agencies to be further tightened in promotion and advertising work: “It is necessary to establish an interactive channel between businesses and the state to inform organizations earlier and more consistently, and should take advantage of digital platforms. It is necessary to clearly position Vietnam's strengths and brands in each region to optimize efficiency. After orientation, it is necessary to organize communications or train businesses to have similar messages, especially when participating in international fairs.”
VOV.VN - In 2024, the world's leading tourism fair - ITB Berlin in Germany attracted about 5,500 units from 170 countries, including more than 70 units and tourism businesses from Vietnam. The fair took place until March 7, local time.
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